Altruistic World Online Library

The impulse to believe the absurd when presented with the unknowable is called religion. Whether this is wise or unwise is the domain of doctrine. Once you understand someone's doctrine, you understand their rationale for believing the absurd. At that point, it may no longer seem absurd. You can get to both sides of this conondrum from here.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

Avalon Gardens For Sale

AVALON GARDENS, currently for sale by Global Communications Community Alliance, formerly known as Aquarian Concepts Community, is one of the properties owned by the local alternative living group. The organic garden and acreage is one of the various meeting places GCCA members congregate to listen to direction and instructions from leader Tony Delevin, according to former member Beth Sundberg-Leoni.Mal Cooper/Larson Newspapers

After a divorce in 1993, Beth Sundberg-Leoni looked up an old friend in Sedona, Kathleen Connors.

Connors, otherwise known as "Blue Evening Star,” convinced Sundberg-Leoni to "start over" and come to Sedona. In Sedona, as Sundberg-Leoni remembers Connors saying, there's a community of like-minded people -- the Aquarian Concepts Community, which recently renamed itself the Global Community Communications Alliance.

In 1995, after seeing a change within the community, Sundberg-Leoni left.

"It really morphed into something ... I don't know where it's going. I just know I wasn't going with it," she says.

Sundberg-Leoni 's breaking point from ACC came after being asked to sacrifice too many things. She adds that it wasn't because she was denied use of her professional skills so much as it was an invasion into her private life.

Being asked to part with her material possessions, her career and a relationship to someone with whom she cared for intimately bothered her, she says.

But being asked to connect with someone sexually and giving up her own free will was out of the question, she insists.

Sundberg-Leoni, 50, currently works in various hospitals in and around Las Vegas. She says she lives alone -- she likes it that way.

In 1979, she began practicing "bedside care." At University of Nevada, Las Vegas she earned a bachelor's degree in nursing.

She attained certification in critical care and emergency room nursing.

When she arrived at ACC, she says she worked parttime in area hospitals, hoping she could contribute her skills to the new alternative community.

'Pair Units at ACC'

The following are excerpts from an Aquarian Concepts Community document titled "Trinity Associations and Complementary Associations" provided by Beth Sundberg-Leoni, former ACC member. According to Sundberg-Leoni, the document assigns "partners" and "Morontian companions."

Unfortunately, regardless of any qualifications she had, she wasn't used.

When Sundberg-Leoni advised ACC school teachers to maintain the children's immunizations, she says she was told to stay away. She was instructed to keep a distance, she recalls.

When her intention was to recommend a decongestant to a resident, she was told "back off," she adds.

'''Gabriel' discerns health needs," she says.

"Gabriel," whose legal name is Tony Delevin, is the founder and leader of the Aquarian Concepts Community.

Despite having a medical doctor -- Patrick Lawrence, M.D., otherwise known as "Landau" -- and a nurse on staff, Sundberg-Leoni says it was Delevin who claimed to heal people, from congestion to heart conditions and cancer.

If people remained ill, there was always a reason excusing Delevin from his failure to heal, she says.

'''Gabriel' is supposed to be 'Mr. Healer,' so if when he didn't heal anyone when he laid his hands on them, it was their fault. He said they weren't spiritually centered," she says.

As a consequence of Sundberg-Leoni's concern, she said she was asked to quit her profession.

She did not.

It was one of many straws to break.

Personal separation

One evening, according to Sundberg-Leoni, the community gathered to hear Delevin address what he called "Trinity Associations and Complementary Associations."

Each member was given pages listing members and their "complements." The names of over 50 people instructed them who each community member should consider as a "partner" and "Morontian companion."

Sundberg-Leoni was given the "cosmic name" of "Talomar" and matched to four men: "Sharu," "Miesen," "Driten" and "A'Journe."

At the time, "A'Journe" was legally married to ACC member "Clistine," she says.

The list is the equivalent to the child's game spin-the-bottle, Sundberg-Leoni explains.

"It was an immature, 'OK, we're going to be naughty' feeling," she adds.

Sundberg-Leoni denies consummating these assigned relationships, though she admits it felt as if they were arranged marriages.

There was pressure to maintain the partnerships, she says, adding she believed it was meant to take away people's identities.

She states mandatory "counseling sessions" were appointed with community psychologist Linda Cunningham, aka "Marayeh," when anyone appeared to deviate from partner designations.

She says she believes those sessions were intended to gather "dirty secrets" and share them with ACC leaders Delevin and Nancy Chase, aka Niann.

When Sundberg-Leoni refused to follow complement orders, she says she was confronted by Cunningham and ACC attorney Celinas Ruth.

Sundberg-Leoni admits her "fall from grace" came after she told both Ruth and Cunningham she would not be controlled.

"Nobody tells me who I can and cannot share a bed with," she says.

Another straw, broken.

Shunned and shamed

Less than a decade ago, Sundberg-Leoni left Sedona.

Though she departed what she deems the "chains and prison bars" of ACC in 1995, she says she remained in Sedona to be close to friends, some of whom also left ACC.

She also had a job working per diem at both the Flagstaff Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood.

Life was good, aside from the harassment, she says.

"They [ACC members] were very confrontational when I first got out of the community," she says.

Though there were never threats of physical violence, she says verbal attacks were regular.

Because she left ACC, she was told she would "burn in hell," she adds.

When Sundberg-Leoni arrived at ACC, she says she felt comfortable among the "laissez-faire" attitude of fellow members.

She remembers having regular dinners with Delevin and Chase and pleasant study groups on The Urantia Book.

"I don't regret being in the community, but I came to a point when I realized that there is no one person standing between you and the greater spirit you believe," she says. "Nobody can dictate a person's faith."

She says she often thinks of The Urantia Book and how one man's belief tried to mislead her faith and others.

''I'm really sorry 'Gabriel' used that book as a springboard,” she says. "More so, I never had a chance to say my peace with Kathleen [Conners] -- she's still there."

"There is so much untruth in your story it is impossible to comment at this time," GCCA attorney Celinas Ruth said.

The Urantia Book & ACC are not the sameby Dale YoungSedona Red Rock NewsApril 25, 2007

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

Upon reading the recent Sedona Red Rock News articles about the Aquarian Concepts Community, I feel compelled to assist in making a distinction between The Urantia Book, which is mentioned in one of the articles ["Tony Delevin, aka 'Gabriel,' speaks," April 6, et. al.], and ACC with Gabriel.

The Urantia Book stands alone. In the 1950s, it was published by a foundation in Chicago that was established to be the custodian of The Urantia Book text and protect its copyright. The foundation's comments regarding the "channeled" material from Delevin are as follows:

"While Urantia Foundation neither endorses, promotes, nor denies any individual's personal experiences, we must assure readers that the foundation has no connection with any of this so-called 'channeled' material about which each individual will have to make up his or her own mind.

"Even so, the trustees want to make the foundation's position very clear: Urantia Foundation disavows such material as having anything to do with The Urantia Book or Urantia Foundation."

I have been reading The Urantia Book over the past 30 years and all of my family and close friends are clear that it plays an important role in my life.

Members of ACC would refer me to as a "Urantia fundamentalist," and there are many others like me, who live locally, read The Urantia Book regularly and have no association with ACC.

All ACC members read The Urantia Book but most readers of The Urantia Book do not accept that Delevin's channeling is any kind of further revelation of The Urantia Book.

All too often associations result in the dismissal of opportunity and, in this case, I wish to encourage readers to investigate the Urantia Book text and not dismiss it because of its association with ACC.

The Urantia Book was published as an epochal revelation. It is not an easy book to read and its text presents ideas about God, Jesus, the universe and our adventure in it, that seriously deviate from traditional biblical and Christian concepts, although in many details they are similar.

It was not a big step for myself and other sincere Christians to embrace concepts presented in The Urantia Book having established previous relation with the Bible. If readers tend to read the Bible as a way to help discern moral guidance and yet do not embrace the Bible as "the word of God," complete and true, as if God wrote it, then you may find a lifetime of adventure within The Urantia Book.

Nearly 1,000 pages are devoted to an account of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, which is the easiest to read. The Urantia Book is on the shelf at Sedona Public Library and in most public libraries in the country. Additionally, the entire book can be accessed online at http://www.urantia.org.

Let me conclude by sharing from the book, "God is the first truth and the last fact."

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

Global Communications Community Alliance leader Tony Delevin and his supporters told an Internet audience Thursday, April 19, that local and national media are unfairly attacking his church and alternative living group, formerly known as the Aquarian Concepts Community.

The press is supposed to tape competing sources to get both sides of an issue.” –- Celinas Ruth, Global Community Communication Alliance attorney and member

The three-hour-long Internet broadcast, titled “Media Misrepresentation: Locally and nationally,” was held at the group’s Future Studios in Sedona.

Backed by images of Mahatma Gandhi, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, “Rocky Balboa” and “Yoda” of “Star Wars” fame, Delevin, aka “Gabriel of Urantia” and “Gabriel of Sedona,” argued that local and national media target him and his group because their way of life threatens the corporate and political interests of those who control the media.

"They [Dateline NBC] lied over and over and over again, but they gained our trust," Delevin told his Internet audience.

He accused the news program of cutting and pasting questions and answers to make him appear to be "a crazed cult leader."

He also expressed sadness that VH1, a cable music channel, chose to use his music during a broadcast of "Rock Candy," which highlighted some of the country's worst music groups.

"I feel that this was done to try to destroy any opportunity for me as an up-and-coming musician," Delevin said.

"Because my work just happened to be the truth. They don't want the truth. The times of Bob Dylan have long passed. They do not let artists like that out anymore," he said.

Delevin said he believes VH1 sabotaged a recording contract he was preparing to sign with a major record label.

Prior to the April 19 Internet broadcast, GCCA mailed letters to hundreds of Sedona businesses and community members urging recipients to give GCCA money and join in a boycott of the Sedona Red Rock News.

In the letter, Delevin asked for donations and argued that the News singled his group out because of its stance against overdevelopment, specifically GCCA's opposition to the Bella Terra subdivision under construction off Upper Red Rock Loop Road.

"Could this be one or the reasons for the current series of inflammatory local newspaper articles demonizing me and the rest of the community members?" he asked his Internet audience.

According to Bella Terra project developer Mike Zito, GCCA asked Zito to go public in support of the News boycott, but he refused.

In the letter, GCCA apparently switched tactics, instead claiming the News and Zito colluded to place the group in a bad light.

"The press is supposed to tap competing sources to get both sides of an issue," GCCA lawyer and member Celinas Ruth told the audience.

"Where is your sensitivity?"she asked. "Pretend you're writing about your family and your loved ones. The outcome would be more carefully thought through. The chance of creating danger or harm would be lessened. The story you tell will be more honest."

News Managing Editor Greg Ruland said GCCA was given multiple opportunities to comment on every story and refused in almost every case.

When GCCA members commented, their comments were printed in full, Ruland said.

"The group told us they would not answer any questions or comment on any story in an e-mail sent to us several weeks before we started our coverage," Ruland said.

News Publisher Robert B. Larson stated the News began its coverage with a story about a major land sale by GCCA.

"In doing so, Delevin chose not to speak to the News. After the initial story, the News received many other details about GCCA," Larson said.

"In this way, a simple story about a land transaction ended up as a series of stories based on information received from many other sources," he said.

The News editorial staff only verified and then wrote what they were told about the group, Larson said.

"In no way did the News or its editorial staff try to influence the outcome of any of the stories," he said.

In several telephone messages left for News editorial staff, Ruth said she tried but failed to obtain an order from the Coconino County Superior Court barring News reporter Nate Hansen from attending the April 19 Internet broadcast at Future Studios.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

Dear Tony Delevin, aka "Gabriel of Sedona,"

I am a resident of Pyramid View Drive, off Upper Red Rock Loop Road and, since 2002, I have been trying to spearhead a drive to get Pyramid View Drive paved to eliminate a great deal of dust and also washouts during any rains.

The county will not touch the road. Therefore, it is up to the homeowners to make any road improvements. I originally dealt with Kevin Heinold, aka "Santeen," of Aquarian Concepts Community, who is now deceased. I then communicated with Catherine Lilly, aka “Centria."

Lilly informed me that Aquarian Concepts Community, and I quote, "We do not support your position of paving this road now, nor did we in 2002." end quote.

The letter is dated Oct. 13, 2006.

In 2002, Delevin owned four properties on Pyramid View Drive and would not help with the paving. The remaining 10 owners, in favor of paving, could not pick up your four shares financially. You then sold two vacant lots, and those two new owners are in favor of the paving. I still have not received any answer back on my last letter, dated Feb. 28, 2007, from Aquarian Concepts Community, or Global Community Communications Alliance, which Delevin wishes it be called today.

Delevin has two, single-family residences being used as multi-family, dormstyle living quarters and Delevin's group creates at least 75 percent of the traffic on Pyramid View Drive. Delevin has these two remaining residences up for sale at exorbitant prices, taking advantage of knowing that the road will be paved at Delevin's good neighbors' expense.

My plea or challenge to Delevin is if he talks the talk of being such a "great community-minded spiritual leader of Sedona," then walk the walk and show the residents of Pyramid View Drive, who are already paying his share of property taxes, that he really cares about his neighbors and will pay his two shares of road paving, and at the same time, help rid the environment of all the dust created by all his followers' dilapidated, in-much-need-of-repair, junker vehicles.

I await Delevin's reply and will keep the public informed of his decision through the Sedona Red Rock News.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

ANSWER: Of all the things over the years I observed taking place with community members, and particularly what I experienced personally, the so-called 'medical' care and related activities (called "Tron Therapy") affected and disturbed me the most.

FOLLOWUP ARTICLE:

I have reached a point in my life that I can now happily say that on my next birthday I will be 80 years old and am in excellent health.

This means that, for one thing, I have traveled a great deal around the world and seen some beautiful things, met some wonderful human beings of many races and of all life styles, from the very rich to very poor. This also means that I have seen some terrible and tragic things: poverty and disease, suffering and heartbreak, and all the terrible ways that humans sometimes treat each other, with the " .... do unto others as you would have them do unto you" not even a consideration. Unfortunately, not only does this negative treatment of one another continue, I see it increasing as the result of the pressures of living intensify, as the result of great planetary changes that are taking place all around us, and on all levels.

To apply this more specifically to my experience with Gabriel and his Aquarian Concepts Community, I don't recall in my long life of observing a situation where persons involved were pressured more to do the bidding of one man who's wishes are carried out by his elected hierarchy. In all the years I have observed this I have seen some wonderful souls come to the community. Many have left (one way or the other), some remain, and while I have seen some positive things accomplished, I must point out here that the GOAL of what I believe was to have transpired at the ACC, while perhaps has not yet defaulted, most certainly has been SHORTCIRCUITED, resulting in bad feelings, and even worse, it has affected many both emotionally and physically.

I am one who believes that a short life in the flesh on this planet is not the only ascension experience, and at this particular time, for many extraordinary reasons, it is obviously extreme, intense and challenging. And while I believe that the 'death' process is a graduation from one experience/class to the next, cutting life short is not a natural thing, and it pains me when I see it happen every day. This planet is notorious for it, through wars, increased violence, and a multitude of other ways.

During my years in the Aquarian Concepts Community I have seen people die simply of old age, they're bodies had worn out. But I have also seen deaths occur for other reasons, cancer being one of the main ones.

For example, a beautiful soul who had a Masters' degree in music came to join the community, and for a while she was teaching at a local High School until she was persuaded to quit that job and work for Gabriel full time. She directed his choir, taught music to students, and perhaps more importantly to Gabriel, she had the ability to arrange his songs for him. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with cancer and passed on. This was a very sad time for everyone in the community, particularly Gabriel, who announced that he felt "betrayed"; who now would direct his choir and arrange his songs?

There was another lovely person, the teen-age daughter of parents who were ACC members but separated, followed by the mother leaving first, then the father after the death of their daughter, as the result of a long, drawn-out, and rare form of cancer, which lingered through much surgery and pain.

While the loss of anyone is always sad, undoubtedly, the death of Gabriel's right hand man, the one he relied on so much and who had certain abilities that nobody else in the community had, was the greatest blow overall. Kevin Heinold, known also as Santeen, a huge man who I first met when he visited my school in California in 1976. Although often overbearing, he had the ability to manifest material things which Gabriel, I, or anyone else in the community did not have, resulting in the acquirement of most of the properties and wealth now held by Gabriel/ACC. The last event I attended at "Avalon Gardens" (now up for sale) was intended to bring about the healing of Santeen. Gabriel and Niann placed their hands on him, with all the higher-ranking members placing their hands on them, followed by all the rest of the community down to the lowest rank. It was a long ceremony, and I don't doubt that the prayers of every person were sincere. I later asked Santeen how he was feeling after this, and be said "much better". Unfortunately, it didn't work and he passed on anyhow in January 2005, just a few days from another man, Alyone, who also died.

Alyone was one of the nicest persons I have ever known and I considered him a real friend. Having sold a sheep ranch and left family in Australia, he moved to Sedona and joined ACC. Although a slightly built man, he contributed a huge amount of physical work, during which time he had a large rock fall on the lower part of his leg, putting him out of commission. It never healed, and it saddened me to see him regress emotionally, as well as physically. One of the last opportunities I had to visit with him, he tearfully told me he had lost faith in what he had come here for, but couldn't go back to Australia, that he didn't know what to do. I thought at the time his solution would probably be to pass on.

The most recent loss was that of a newly born baby.

The community doctor, Patrick Lawrence (AKA Landau), a high-strung, nervous man usually on the verge of hysteria, was previously licensed in Texas, and practiced general medicine, in Flat Rock. I early on became seriously concerned with his hesitancy to medically treat certain physical problems, but will address only the following as an example.

In the latter part of 2001 I began to feel quite ill, having dizzy spells and passing out, but was required to continue work for the community. Once, during a Sunday "Cosmo" service when the sermon went on endlessly, blood started running down my left arm and I knew I was going to lose consciousness, but I managed to get out to a bench near the front door. I wanted to get to my car to sit down out of the sun but didn't make it, and when I passed out my head hit a concrete barrier resulting in a slight concussion. I was carried to my car and when I regained consciousness the doctor informed me that because my "heart had stopped for a much-too-long a time", he thought he might have had to give me an injection to start it beating again but apparently decided that it wasn't necessary. Later, he commented that it was the 'fastest heart recovery he had ever seen." I was taken home where I was allowed to rest for two days, but was then ordered to resume work because "it was my duty to the Community", and my staying off the job is an "inconvenience to everyone else." Meanwhile, the doctor had no idea what was causing my problems. Because of my age, etc., I was covered by insurance and qualified to have a "provider doctor" outside the community whom I had begun to see, and when I told him about this recent experience he immediately sent me to a cardiologist at the hospital in Cottonwood. If you believe in God's perfect timing as I do, you will understand my appreciation of it because during the testing I lost consciousness in the arms of the cardiologist. This resulted in my spending the night in the Emergency Room, and having heart surgery early the next morning. I was shown the X-rays and could see that the arteries were plugged up, and this heart specialist advised me that if I didn't have the operation I would probably not live more than six months. He also stated that the reason I was losing consciousness was that the blood was not reaching my brain and that having not attended to the problem sooner, I was very lucky that it had not been seriously damaged. After the surgery I returned borne where I rested a few days before I was ‘encouraged' to resume community work as soon as possible. Dr. Lawrence, knowing I was going for these tests, had specifically advised me to NOT let them operate on my heart because "once they start, they won't stop", but he couldn't recall the name of the procedure he was referring to, although it is very common one undergone by many who have a heart disease.

During this ordeal, and afterwards during my efforts to recover, I felt there was still something else that was wrong: I could feel it in my body. Meanwhile Dr. Levin, my provider doctor, had insisted that I rest and when I explained the difficulty in getting it because of community policy, he wrote a 'prescription' stating, "This above captioned patient is unable to perform 'elder care' for the remainder of this month, in order that he attend to matters of his own health needs and concerns. Thanks." When Dr. Lawrence found about this he became very angry and accused the other doctor of trying to override him, and me of "recruiting these other doctors to get out of work". He further stated that Dr. Levin was "lying to take control of things and that I might have to change provider doctors". My response was to inform him that it was none of his business who my provider doctor was, that Medicare and myself made this decision only. Linda Cunningham (AKA Marayeh), the community psychologist, then accused me of "recruiting the other doctors out of pride and obstinacy", and that I was "distorting the facts". She further stated that I was "building a case and fabricating these things", and that "You have an incredible, pathological investment in seeing some people as being against you and trying to thwart you. That is your fantasy, and not reality."

During this period my Provider Doctor was having me take specific tests to try and determine what other reasons were the cause of my weakness, and as a result I was diagnosed with prostate cancer by the urologist he had sent me to.

Meanwhile Dr Lawrence had been given highly unusual instructions by Gabriel to attend all of the appointments of community members whenever they were able to see any doctors outside the community. While this would give him a needed education regarding these various medical practices, he would also know exactly what was going on with each patient/community member, which would be reported, like everything else, to Gabriel Niann, and the community psychologist, giving them a considerable advantage over the individual, and greatly contributing to their ability to be in control. I was always disturbed by the fact that there was never a "doctor-patient confidentiality agreement", since all medical records are shared by Lawrence and Cunningham, (the psychologist), with Gabriel and Niann. (It reminds me of the required detailed 'confessions', sometimes requested in writing a comprised list of all the negative things that the member thinks they may have done, not only in this life, but how they may have offended Gabriel, or others, in past ones. This compounded information places the subject-member in a compromising and susceptible situation, and gives those who have placed themselves in a position over them further control. Blackmail, would not be an inappropriate definition.)Furthermore, no one outside the community was allowed to pick up any of my prescriptions from the pharmacy, (the above mentioned wanted to know everything that had been prescribed for me) although it would have been more convenient, and I finally became so irritated with this nonsense that I refused to let anyone in the community pick up anything.

Dr. Lawrence was with me as usual when the urologist informed me that I had cancer, and who had thoroughly explained my options of surgery, radiation, or to do nothing. When we got into the car to go home, Dr. Lawrence first suggested that I choose to do nothing; an opinion I had become very leery of. I said I felt I wanted to wait three months; Dr. Lawrence suggested six. The urologist had said that he wouldn't advise me what I should do at this point, but did recommend that if I decided to have either radiation or surgery, that I not wait long since my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) count was dangerously high, and the cancer could easily spread into other parts of my body which would be fatal. I opted for the radiation, and [at] this point refused to allow Dr. Lawrence to accompany me to any more outside appointments.

Meanwhile, during these disturbing events, Dr. Lawrence had recommended that shots be given once a week: one injection of BI2 to help with low energy and one of another type for pain. He did not have these medications with him so an appointment was set up at which time he said he would come to my house to give the injections.

1. On Wednesday, October 10, an appointment was made for the next morning, Thursday, at 11 AM. The doctor did not show up nor did I hear from him.

2. Another appointment was made for Saturday, October 13, and when Dr. Lawrence asked if Iwould be home I told him I would be. He did not show up nor did I hear from him.

3. I reminded him at Sunday Service on October 14 that he had not kept the previous appointments, and he said he would be there right after that service. He did not show up nor did I hear from him.

4. An appointment was made for Monday, October 15 between 11 AM and noon. He did not show up nor did I hear from him.

5. An appointment was made for Tuesday A.M., October 16. He did not show up nor did I hear from him.

By this time I had given up on Dr. Lawrence, but was having so much pain that I finally called my Provider Doctor on late Friday, November 2, and he saw me at 9 AM Monday. I explained my problem, he gave me a prescription, which I had filled, and was home resting by 11 AM. All of which took a total of only two hours.

Meanwhile I did not hear from Dr. Lawrence until Friday, November 9, when he responded to a message I left for him saying that I felt so ill that I could not spend five hours doing elder care that evening. This caught his attention for a change, and he was at my door within 15 minutes of my call at which time he told me I could rest that night but that I had to continue working the next day -- which, in spite of feeling extremely ill, I did.

6. Since he didn't have his medical bag with him (again) he said he would be sure to come by the next day, Saturday, November 10, to give me the needed shots. He did not show up nor did I hear from him.

He finally showed up on Monday AM, November 12 and reiterated that shots should be given once a week, but since he didn't have his bag (again) a specific time should be set, such as Saturday mornings.

7. On Saturday, November 17 AM he did not show up for the appointment, nor did I hear from him.

At Sunday Service the next day I reminded him about the shots but no specific time was set.

8. On Wednesday, November 21, I called Dr. Lawrence saying that I felt so ill that I could not cook that afternoon for a whole household of people, for which I was scheduled. An appointment was made for shots the next day, Thursday, November 22 at 2 PM. He did not show up nor did I hear from him.

From Wednesday. October 10, through Thursday November 22, a total of 43 DAYS, eight appointments were made, which the doctor not only did not show up for, I never heard from him. I had to keep rescheduling appointments, and he continued to break them. When I brought this disturbing experience up at a meeting with Lawrence and the community counselor, Cunningham, I was accused of having an attitude problem and given several red "chips" (a form of punishment) for it.

This meeting was the final straw that 'broke my back', resulting in my calling Santeen (the now deceased one, who yielded the most power next to Gabriel) and demanded a meeting immediately, which he responded to and was at my house in a few minutes. I described all the above (and more) to him and demanded that both Dr. Lawrence and Cunningham "get out of my life and leave me alone". Fortunately, and wisely, Santeen agreed, and stated that he would immediately "take them out of my loop", tell them to leave me alone, and that I "should ignore them". They both 'backed off’ for a while, but later tried to resume their control and pressure over me, which I rejected until the time of my resignation.

In closing, I am going to add the following opinion -- which I know others agree with -- that people like Lawrence and Cunningham should never have licenses to practice anything that has to do with the health of others -- and that any licenses they now have should be taken away from them permanently.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

'Gabriel of Sedona'

The Global Community Communications Alliance formerly known as Aquarian Concepts, a nonprofit organization considered by the Internal Revenue Service to be a bona fide religious group, placed $13 million of its Sedona real estate up for sale and made plans to move approximately 100 of its adherents to an isolated ranch near the Arizona-Mexico border.

GCCA leader Tony Delevin, who calls himself “Gabriel of Sedona” or “Gabriel of Urantia” refused to comment on the sale or pending move.

Announcement of the property sale brought out several former GCCA members, who told stories about their experiences inside the group that caused several to opine that the religion is actually a cult, an allegation strenuously denied by current GCCA spokespeople.

Sedona Red Rock News coverage of the story lead to winning the first place Community Service/Journalistic Achievement award from the Arizona Newspapers Association.

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.

"But Israel had false prophets as well as true; and you likewise will have false teachers among you .... They will gain many adherents to their dissolute practices, through whom the true way will be brought into disrepute. In their greed for money they will trade on your credulity with sheer fabrications." -- 2 Peter 2:1, 2

"It requires a great and noble character, having started out wrong, to turn around and go right. All too often one's own mind tends to justify continuance in the path of error when once it is entered upon.” (The URANTIA Book, p.1981:06)

From the moment I first heard of the man who calls himself Gabriel of Sedona I knew he was not the real thing. There was something that was just not right about him -- and I have a pretty good sense for these things, always have. I had a feel for the manipulation, the deception Gabriel was using, but I could not nail anything down at that time. I tried to warn my father that he was jumping the gun, but of course my father disagreed. Of course he also admitted that he never did one thing that might challenge his belief in Gabriel, he never tested his faith. When this all began, I had a deep suspicion that Gabriel of Sedona was a phony. Now I know for sure.

If you read nothing else on this web page, please read the following letter and seriously reflect on what it has to say. It sums up everything there is to say about the man who calls himself Gabriel of Sedona with first hand experience and a sense of sincerity I could never hope to match.

What you are about to read is a letter from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach which describes his experiences with the man who calls himself Gabriel of Sedona. For those of you not familiar with Gabriel of Sedona, his real name is Tony Delevin and he claims to channel a celestial personality named Paladin who gives him the highest spiritual messages and truth available. You to can get this truth by paying Gabriel a rather hefty fee. Shmuley paid this fee in hopes of receiving the highest spiritual truth on the planet, and hoping to either affirm his belief that this was all real, or confirm the other half of him that was concerned it was not.

The Rabbi's letter starts with a cover letter explaining how Tony (Gabriel) proved himself to be shall we say, less than genuine, then ends with a more personal message. It was delivered by process server to as many members of the Aquarian Concepts Community as could be found. Most copies of the letter were rounded up and destroyed by ACC Elder's almost as soon as they were delivered. It was obvious Gabriel did not want anyone to see this letter.

Since the letter was delivered I know of no one who has left the community over it -- however, I do know there are a number that would like to, but feel they have no place to go. They may also have a great fear of leaving because Gabriel tells them they will suffer horribly outside the community. Others may dismiss the letter as "one man’s opinion" and stay on. Some people will continue to believe in Gabriel in spite of overwhelming evidence he is a fraud because believing makes them happy. We'll just have to wait and see what happens over time.

(Emphasis added by the web master)

*****

July 16, 1999

To my friends at the Aquarian Concepts Community,

The following pages are an open letter giving my reasons why I cannot move in to join your community. I have thought long and hard about sending this letter and have decided to do so after my access to one of my closest friends was cut off, thus confirming to me how the ACC undermines and destroys any relationship which isn't to it's advantage. I also fear that you may have been given mistruths about me, and I want to provide an explanation to you all.

I received a personal transmission supposedly from Paladin through Gabriel. I paid $1,000 cash for what was promised as the highest knowledge available on the planet. I was told that it was impossible for "Paladin" to ever say a falsehood. Well, Gabriel it seems (or should I say Tony Delevin) is doing a version of an old gypsy con game by claiming Paladin is from "Celestial Overcontrol". All it takes to succeed is to have blind faith by ignoring first-hand negative experiences. Well, it didn’t work with me.

Before committing myself to accepting Gabriel's spiritual authority, I decided to put him to the test. I decided to give a number of false "statements" before the ''transmission .'' I figured that it would be easy for a being of higher spiritual awareness to see through the deceptions. Every single falsehood was given spiritual significance by Gabriel. Because it was so easy to fool him, I must conclude that Paladin is either a fabrication of Gabriel or a very ignorant evil spirit. He is certainly no angelic or divine being.

In this letter, you will find my concerns about:

1. My recent "transmission" which prove fraud by Gabriel:

o Debbie was told she would give birth to boy. Debbie is not even pregnant.

o The supposed "friend" Ethel Goodman living with us in London doesn’t exist.

o The story of Jonathan Shapiro dying in front of my eyes as a child of twelve was totally made up.

o Debbie and I had G-d forbid lost our first child, a boy, and I was told soul that this was the same soul in my son, Mendy. We, thank G-d have never lost a child.

o My grandparents died in Holocaust -- not true.

o The most obvious, but still not picked up on by the supposed "spirit of Truth," was that I was adopted and my mother wasn’t Jewish.

2. Spiritual elitism and my concern about the misuse of spiritual authority.

3. Break-ups in marriages and relationships of members.

4. Heavy emphasis on money, rather than love and truth. Pressure to turn over money and assets to be used by leadership while the rank and file live in places like a garage.

5. Control of people’s minds and bodies. Extreme phobias of leaving the group or questioning the leadership. Control of information -- letters, phone calls are monitored. Access to critical information (and former members) is forbidden or discouraged.

I am writing this letter in the hope that you will sit down and read what I have written and reflect about your involvement. I am sure many of you were very disappointed when I decided not to move in. Please understand that deciding to test Gabriel might seem extreme. But deciding about such a major commitment required me to do my best to put him to the test.

G-d is great and He wants everyone to be free to think for themselves, rather than be enslaved by a man who merely claims to be spiritually superior. It will take strength and courage to pack your bags and leave -- but if you are truly dedicated to following G-d, then you have no other option. I pray that you will talk with each other and stand up to the leadership hierarchy of the ACC and find your way back to your families and loved ones and to true spiritual communities.

I am your friend and will be happy to be there to encourage your new life. My phone number, address and email in England are on the last page. There is help for you if you want to leave and need a place to stay.

May G-d bless you always.

Shmuley

*****

July 1999

To my friends at the Aquarian Concepts Community

As you know, over the last twelve months I have come to visit the community on at least eight occasions. I even brought my wife Debbie and three of our children to meet the community. I have come to respect and befriend many of you deeply. I therefore write this letter with a heavy heart, but with the solid conviction and responsibility to share with you my thoughts. As you know, I am a Rabbi at Oxford University and director of the L’Chaim Society. I have tried hard to dedicate my life to G-d, truth, and healing the world. I do not hold myself out as a model of perfection, which I am not. But neither can I turn a blind eye to gross injustice and a racket of deception. I am writing this because I want to communicate to you what I have learned in the course of this ten month journey which culminated in my having recently received a personal "transmission". I have prayed and prayed about whether I should write this letter, but I felt you all deserved to have an explanation for why Debbie and I will not join the group.

I predict that you will be told many false things about me and the reasons I cannot join the community: that I am Caligastia; that I am swayed by the fame of being seen in the last few months by millions of people while promoting my book, Kosher Sex; that I am not willing to give everything up for G-d. Other nonsensical things.

I am not an "enemy". I am a friend to all of you. I hope and pray that you will still think of me as your friend.

To be sure, I have seen some beautiful and admirable things in the community. I have come to love and respect the sense of closeness and camaraderie, as well as the sincere desire to do what you believe to be G-d's highest will. Still, this could never excuse the simple fact that I have concrete proof that all of you are being misled. I believe that your idealism and spiritual hunger is being tragically manipulated and exploited.

First, there is the issue of the systematic destruction of families at the ACC. I have witnessed husbands and wives who have been systematically forced to separate, their children dispersed around the community to be raised by people other than their parents. In fact, every single family and married couple that has arrived at the ACC has been separated, with the notable exception of Gabriel and Niann. I guess since they make the rules, they don’t see a need to apply the same rules to themselves. Gabriel and Niann have truly beautiful children, and those children are given the unique privilege of living with and being raised by their parents. Why is this basic right and need being denied to all the other children?[/b]

I have also seen the pain that this forced separation has caused. I remember speaking to Anyan -- a man of great compassion and humility -- when I first visited the community, and how he cried to me that giving up Shantalee as his wife and breaking up his family was never his idea. Rather, he was told that he and she could not grow unless they separated. Many others have told me the same thing. They wanted to remain with their spouse, but Gabriel told them that they couldn’t grow if they did. That it wasn’t G-d’s will as revealed through Gabriel.

I have also seen how you have been indoctrinated to detach yourselves from members of your real families. I was utterly disgusted to hear that Lanesis was permitted to be with her dying mother for only 48 hours, but was then told that she must return to the community. And I doubt whether or not BenDameaan (Daniel) would ever have been allowed to visit his dying grandfather if I had not made efforts to encourage it to happen. The whole notion of family is one treated with other [utter] derision and contempt by Gabriel, because he finds it far easier to manipulate and control all of you when you are separated from your loved ones.

I have also become fairly sickened to find out how centrally important money is in the Aquarian Concepts Community. At first I was prepared to see the beauty of the community and even made several financial contributions to the community, most notably, to the needs of the children. I felt that the ACC was a charity and needed my support. But I now see that its central purpose is to extort as much money as possible from unsuspecting souls. Forcing people with tremendous influence techniques to turn over money, property, clothing, jewelry and anything else of value is not spiritual. Blackmailing parents to turn over money or else suffer the consequences is not "love of G-d", it is simply love of money. I have never been asked anywhere in the world to pay for a weekly prayer service. But in the ACC, everything has a price, and I have been asked to pay for everything, including a hefty $1,000 in cash for a transmission -- with the promise that I would have "the" definitive experience with the spirit of truth.

Furthermore, the repulsive spiritual elitism, in which one person is declared to be higher and loftier than the next, is a subversion of everything which the Bible stands for. Genesis clearly teaches that G-d created all of mankind in His own image, and we in this country believe all people to be created equal, based on that Biblical teaching. Yet, the ACC operates on false presumptions of spiritual supremacy which suits the leadership’s obsession with controlling people’s lives. For instance, I know that Kasarian and Mycenay wished to be a couple, but were prevented from doing so because of Mycenay’s spiritual superiority. I have always found Kasarian to be an incredibly special young man who has so impressed me. I wonder to myself why he would accept such nonsense that suggests that he is on a lower spiritual order than anyone else. Enslavement is not natural and should always be resisted.

Likewise, everyone‘s life is controlled to the most minute detail, allowing for virtually no personal volition. All major decisions have to be made by the "elders" or at least cleared by them. All information is controlled: people are not allowed to discuss their thoughts, feelings and experiences openly with each other for fear of being told on, punished or expelled.

Of course, control is always justified in spiritual terms, like the danger inherent in leaving the five-mile radius. The five-mile radius thing is a good example of the phobias implanted hypnotically to keep everyone dependent. The level of fear and paranoia that so inhibits the community is indicative of a community that desperately has so much to hide. What comes immediately to mind is how many times Maritaseen has attempted to prevent me from even taking photographs of my friends at the community. But the purpose, of course, is control -- to make willing slaves. But mind control doesn’t erase people’s true selves nor their conscience. It merely suppresses them. Over time, people’s true selves eventually see through the hypocrisies - the prophecies which don’t come true - the promises which are broken. Spirit triumphs over mind control!

Then there is the issue of the emptiness of Gabriel’s teachings. Whereas I could usually discern a message in Niann’s weekly Sunday teaching -- Niann can be very eloquent -- Gabriel, supposedly the greatest teacher on the planet, is virtually incoherent. Invariably, his teachings consist of some obvious platitudes strung together with the mandatory story about himself thrown in for good effect (usually about how impoverished he and Niann were and how he had to build the community from scratch). But he does have significant theatrical ability. I will give him that which leads us to the next point.

Of course, all this would be justified if indeed Gabriel represented the will of G-d. I thought I could overlook everything I had written above if indeed I could be given a sign that Gabriel is everything he claims to be. Gabriel is fond of saying that either he is what he says he is or he is a madman, a point he made to all of America on the Dateline tape, and a point made to me by Gabriel on several occasions. He claims to be not only the repersonalization of the greatest figures throughout history but also the mandate of the Bright and Morning Star (basically G-d’s personal representative on earth). I think that there are two other possibilities that should be considered: that Gabriel is being controlled by a lying and malevolent spirit or that Gabriel is a con-man, using hypnosis and mind control to run a cult for his personal power, money and fame.

I decided to reserve final judgment about all that I had seen until I could know definitively for myself. It was for this reason that I agreed to have a personal transmission, notwithstanding the exorbitant $1,000 cost. There was still a part of me that was hoping that indeed I was mistaken. Having discussed the entire situation with my wife, we decided that, as the transmission would no doubt advise that I was to pack up everything and come and join in the community in Sedona (which later turned out to be exactly what happened), I had to test Gabriel’s authenticity by simply planting a number of false facts about myself, hoping that Gabriel would pick up on them. To be sure, I found this incredibly distasteful. But the salient fact about all of Gabriel’s transmissions is that they can never be refuted. He always delivers facts about previous lives that anyone can invent. It became important, therefore, to pin him down with events in this life that he could only know if indeed he was in contact with a true, celestial spirit. And Gabriel himself has taught that it is OK to use deception in order to advance G-d’s purpose and that one should always investigate and search out the truth.

I have learned that the surest way to expose a phony psychic or medium is to present false facts, and see if they are identified as false (thereby proving the ability to discern truth) or accepted as true and used by the phony in the "reading". I thought this would be the only way to definitively prove things one way or another. I presented Gabriel with a letter which we both discussed with everyone present (Niann, Santeen, Jeru, BenDameaan, Rafeel, and Marayeh) just prior to the transmission. The letter contained four major fabrications about my life and upbringing, easily verifiable to be false. I further introduced a fifth fabrication, orally, just prior to the transmission. I am sorry to report that not once did "Paladin" pick up on these falsehoods, he went on and interpreted each of them. I even gave the absurd idea that I was adopted and was not born Jewish but was instead born to an Irish Catholic mother. Even this Paladin commented on.

When I told him that Debbie is five months pregnant, he said that we would be having a boy and even said that he was about to divulge the origin of the soul.

Debbie is not pregnant.

Paladin told me that a woman named Ethel Goodman, whom I had said is currently living with us in London, was Debbie’s sister in a previous life, which is why she and I do not get along. Yet, no such woman exists. I invented her out of thin air.

I told Gabriel that my friend Jonathan Shapiro died in front of my eyes as a child of twelve. Gabriel proceeded to tell me that his soul had already repersonalized, and he was about to reveal his identity. Yet, no such person ever existed.

And when I finally told Paladin that Debbie and I had lost our first child, a boy, and wanted to know where his soul was today, the response I got was that our little boy Mendy has the same soul. Yet, thank G-d, we have never lost a child and have only ever had one boy. G-d has been immensely kind to us and our children are healthy, for which I offer Him my eternal praise, may His name be blessed.

Finally, I told Paladin that I am haunted by a vision of my grandfather in the Holocaust. He proceeded to comment on my grandfather, who of course, did not die in the Holocaust. One of my grandfathers died in Israel, the other in Miami Beach just before my Bar Mitzvah.

These are just some of the major things which Gabriel did not pick up on, and I urge you to read the full transmission. If you would like to see a copy of the transmission, please ask your elders to view it. Or contact me and I am happy to provide the full text, but please note that it has been somewhat edited by the community from the original experience which was recorded. In fact, I dare Gabriel to play a recording of the transmission for all of you to hear.

The only conclusion to draw is that Gabriel is nothing but a fraud, a common shyster, eager to enslave people to his meglo-maniacal will and take their money from them. I am sorry to be so forward, but I have a loathing for people who have the audacity to enslave others and rob them of their families and freedom. My parents divorced when I was eight years old and it caused me immeasurable pain and grief. Who is this evil man who uproots whole families at will? I have read Gabriel’s autobiography and I can believe that there might actually have been a time, long ago, when Tony Delevin (Gabrlel’s real name or is it Delavin -- he has used both spellings) was sincere about doing G-d’s work.

Unfortunately, whatever goodness has now apparently been consumed by ego. Like so many others who have made the simple mistake of not being able to distinguish between G-d and themselves, Gabriel has now set himself up as a mini-god. Sure, he justifies controlling all of your lives, having you bow down to him literally, uprooting you from your families, taking your assets into a communal pool (who has the actual access to the bank accounts, do you know?), and having grown men live together in a rotting garage while he lives in an impressive estate, by saying that this is all from Paladin and is the will of G-d. But as I have shown you above, I now know Paladin to be nothing but Gabriel’s fabrication created to make you obey him and Niann.

I want you all to know that I do not judge you for having been taken in by Gabriel. In these crazy and confusing times, we all live with so much pain that it is seductive to think we are the "special ones" -- that we do not have to face difficult personal and family relationships -- and struggle for clarity for G-d’s Will for us personally. There are so many false Messiahs eager for your devotion. But real solutions require great effort and responsibility whereas shortcuts and extreme positions are quick and easy at first -- but are empty and sometimes even potentially dangerous. Just look at the 39 deaths of members in Heaven’s Gate, or the followers of David Koresh, or the sarin gassing in Japan by followers of Shoko Asahara (supposedly Jesus and Buddha rolled up into one).

I have been amazingly impressed with all of you and your true love for G-d and humanity. Everyone, from Kamon to Jeru, has made immense personal sacrifices in pursuing what they were lead to believe is the will of G-d. You are all incredibly special people. But I must advise you to leave the ACC as soon as possible. Return either to your families, or, if that is not possible, find an honest job in a community that has a sincere religious dimension. If you are Jewish, reattach yourself to the Jewish religion. If you were raised Christian, then there are so many beautiful Christian communities where the teachings of Jesus have not been co-opted by godless people like Gabriel for their own personal uses.

If you decide to linger in the ACC, you will be living a lie. In the Bible, there is no greater sin than idolatry. The reason is that whereas other sins involve a spiritual defect or flaw, idolatry involves having one’s whole life devoted to a false cause. Whereas other sins are about making detours on the highway of life, idolatry is about being on the wrong highway altogether. Though you have been innocently misled, now that you know about my experience, you will be responsible from this day forward.

For many of you, overcoming your programmed fears will be a challenge that you will be able to overcome. As a member, you have been conditioned to believe that all kinds of bad things will befall you if you leave the community. But recognize these for what they are: irrational fears with no basis in reality. The only thing that will happen if you leave is that you will be free. Many have left before you and they are much, much happier as a result, I am sure. They are now taking responsibility for their own lives and living in G-d’s highest will, as free individuals. They bow to no man. So, you must put your trust in G-d and let Him deliver you.

My sincere hope is that all of you have the fortitude and courage to get out, notwithstanding how attached you may have become with the ACC. The G-dly path is usually never easy. Sometimes it requires a complete realignment from what we have grown accustomed to. But I know that all of you can do it. Now is the time, therefore, to leave the ACC and reattach yourself to the true and living G-d in all those places where He can be found.

May I also tell you that you are not alone. There are many people who have left the community, and I have begun to search them out. I have discovered a web site (http://www.citilink.com/~mjfitz/aquarian.htm) which has been immensely useful to me in understanding the true nature of the ACC put up by Mark Fitzpatrick dedicated to exposing the ACC out of his sincere desire to reunite with his father, step mother and step brothers who he loves so much. Your loved ones would probably love for you to come to them and start anew. I want you to know that I will be here for you. If any of you wish to contact me, you can reach me in England at 011-44-181-830-5533 or by email on shmuley@lchaim.org. I will handle all of your inquiries confidentially. I will even try and raise funds for those of you who wish to come and meet with me to discuss your future and how you can move forward after your involvement with the ACC.

You can get people to believe in almost anything, especially when the claims are difficult to prove such as in Gabriel of Sedona's case. Most people want proof in most things -- except when it comes to the supernatural and transcendent. People want to believe in Gabriel and others like him because believing makes them happy. Whether whatever is being taught is true or not is almost irrelevant. Some people will continue to believe in spite of overwhelming evidence. We have seen this many times. Uri Geller made magazine covers and all the talk shows showing off his "supernatural talents." He fooled millions and made millions by bending spoons and making worthless predictions. He was finally exposed as a fraud, but even 20 years later still has a large and loyal following. Like all good psychics, he refuses to do things like play the lottery or be tested under conditions which would exclude fraud.

Magician James Randi (who helped expose Geller in his books "Flim Flam" and “The Truth about Uri Geller"), was the perpetrator behind the 'Carlos' channeling hoax. Randi hired an unemployed artist to go on television in Australia and pretend to channel ancient spirits. This was part of an experiment to see how easy it would be to trick people into believing in such things. In short, it was very successful. Within weeks 'Carlos' as he was called had an enormous following and was getting tons of press -- all of it good. They would even conduct seminars where people could ask the spirit questions, and Carlos would give vague nonsensical answers fed to him by radio by James Randi, who would stand offstage. Soon enough Randi and Carlos came forward and exposed the whole thing, describing why they had perpetrated the hoax, and admitting the whole thing was a fake. Still, people would walk up to Carlos and tell him things like ''we don't believe all these awful things people are saying about you. We believe you", even though Carlos freely admitted he was just acting. The will to believe was so great, that these folks wouldn't believe Carlos was a fraud even when he told them to their faces. They still believed in Carlos.

Gabriel, by the way, could easily solve all of the ACC's financial problems, if he were only willing to prove his claims by taking the James Randi Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. This would be a perfect opportunity not only for Gabriel to establish the reality of his claims in a very public setting and give himself enormous credibility, but it could also keep the ACC from going bankrupt building that new youth center. They could maybe even provide real food for ACC members. Wouldn't that be amazing.

The Aquarian Concepts Community members response to the Rabbi's letter, and all the other mountains of evidence that Gabriel is a fraud, has been much the same. It's a shame, because any truly open-minded person still has to accept facts, even if they don't like them. But instead, most ACC members seem to react to the Rabbi's letter with an "it takes all kinds" attitude of indifference. I say most, because I know for a fact there are some ACC members who do have doubts and are considering leaving -- but they don't out of fear and hopelessness. This is also a shame.

I think as much as the evidence of the letter itself, the response of Aquarian Concepts leadership proves the validity of the Rabbi's claims. The attempts by Santeen and Niann to censor the letter so no one could see it, only being forced to provide copies later (after ACC members had been briefed) when censoring proved impossible. Then of course there was the rabid response of the ACC's attorney Mariah. I have been publishing negative commentary on Aquarian Concepts for a year with not so much as an acknowledgement from the ACC. The minute I published the Rabbi's letter though she was on me like a fly on shit. If this letter is so false, so harmless, why such a heavy handed response? Unfortunately years of indoctrination and group pressure have ensured that most rank and file community members don't see it that way.

ACC members could not be allowed to have free access to this document. People who want to control others need to use information control -- you find this in any dictatorship. Dictatorships do everything within their power to destroy "other points of view". When they cannot hide information from their people, they try to attack the source. In America, we have the freedom to read whatever we want and the freedom of believe what we want. Yet groups like the ACC act like a total dictatorship. The system of the ACC is designed to make members completely dependent and unable to trust their own experience and judgment. Tony does not want anyone to see this letter, for he knows he cannot stand up to its truth.

No doubt, soon after the letter was delivered, a meeting of the entire Aquarian Concepts Community was called so that Tony could reinforce his hold after the letters’ delivery. It is probably safe to say a lot of fear and intimidation was used, and many attacks were made on the Rabbi in order to keep people from thinking about the content of the Rabbi's letter (attack the messenger, not the message). Tony probably claimed the Rabbi was an agent of Caligastia, and that this was a test of everyone's faith. Certainly no attempt was made to refute the allegations of a fraudulent Transmission contained in the letter. I suspect also that a carrot was held out, probably concerning Tony's predicted arrival of the mothership to carry them all away sometime in the next six months, with everyone encouraged to stay on to await the big payoff (or at least until this all blows over).

Ed Note: Gabriel has used this particular carrot before. Wasn't there a spaceship supposed to be landing near Flagstaff last December? What happened with that? And what day exactly is this next spaceship supposed to arrive. I'm curious to know myself. Certainly Tony should know exactly when it is arriving. Most cult leaders who make such predictions though never give exact dates. It gets them into trouble when the predictions inevitably don't come true. The Jehovah's Witnesses last end of the world prediction (which said it would occur in 1975) led to a huge increase in membership by 1974, but a serious decline when the end failed to materialize. When Tony's rescue ship fails to materialize later this year, I suspect he will just rationalize it by saying something like, “It is because of your faith that evacuation was not required and the world was spared," or similar such nonsense. Alternatively, he might say something like, "you weren't dedicated enough, so the time has been pushed back.” Given Tony's character, my money is on the latter. In six months time we will see whose prediction is more accurate, Tony's or mine.

As long as I'm on the subject of prophecy, I also predict that after this sort of barrage from Tony that I described above, many will decide to stay in the community, swayed by the paranoia and fear which pervades the community, and by Tony's rationalizations. But I further predict that the longer a person is in the group, and the more failed predictions, hypocrisies, temper tantrums from leadership, fear, and loss of personal control build up, people will become fed up, and they will leave the Aquarian Concepts Community. I'm going to make one more prediction while I'm at it. Judging from Tony's pathetic appearance on VH-1, I predict he will never in a million years become the famous musician he has always believed himself to be.

Ed Note: My predictions are not based on any supernatural power, clairvoyance or extraterrestrial insight. They are based solely on logic, common sense. and knowing what the hell I'm talking about. If any of my predictions come true. it does not in any way imply access to any special knowledge on my part. Nuff said.

Those who do leave the ACC will probably be very confused, distraught, even devastated that the thing for which they have worked so hard and sacrificed so much turned out to be a sham. The self-doubts they have been filled with since they first came into contact with Tony and the Community will become even more pronounced. This will be a difficult time for many of them. Some of them may find this web site. If they do, I hope they find some of the answers they are looking for.

I want any Aquarian Concepts member or former member who reads this to know that there are people out there who care about you and can help you. Please do not hesitate to contact me or the Rabbi. You can contact me by phone at 612-721-9050 or by email at mark.fitzpatrick@damarkcom. I will do everything I can to help you in any way I can. There are others as well who are willing to help.

I should also point out to any recent ACC defectors that just because Tony is a fraud, does not mean you must abandon everything you have worked for. There are positive aspects of the ACC to be sure, otherwise nobody would be there. You can still take those positive things and build on them. Only now, without the shackles of Tony's control, you can really become something, whatever you want to be. Tony wants you to associate your belief in God with your belief in him, but the two are not one and the same. You can still retain your faith in God, while at the same time recognizing Tony for what he is.

Questions you should be asking yourselves

For those who decide to stay, even after reading this letter, in my view you should not simply dismiss the letter as "one man’s opinion." You need to ask yourself important questions like:

1. The Rabbi paid a lot of money -- $1,000 -- to get the highest spiritual truth on the planet. Do you think he got his money's worth?

2. Why was Paladin so incapable of detecting the falsehoods the Rabbi used?

And

3. If Paladin was so wrong in this case, how many other things has Paladin been wrong about? Does Paladin exist at all?

A human being would be expected to be fooled in this way, but certainly not Paladin of Celestial Overcontrol!

4. Is the Rabbi really an agent of Caligastia like Tony almost certainly claims, or is he a truth seeker just like you? Many of you in the community have come to know and respect the Rabbi. Just because he found out something Tony did not want you to know, does not make him an agent of Caligastia.

5. Is there really too much emphasis on money in the community?

6. How do you really feel about the control Tony has over your life and your family? Are you really happy; do you really feel this control is for the best? Much of that control is supposedly derived from Paladin's direction. We have seen how easily Paladin can get things wrong. What if Paladin is also wrong about decisions he has made affecting your life and family?

7. How do you feel about not being allowed to visit loved ones outside the community? Even if they are sick or dying? What right does Gabriel have to say you cannot visit those who truly love and care about you? God would never deny you the right to see your own flesh and blood.

8. If the Rabbi is really an agent of Caligastia as Gabriel no doubt claims, then why did Santeen make such great efforts to keep any of you from seeing the letter? Certainly if Gabriel is who he claims, this letter could do him no harm, and there is no reason to keep this information from you. What other important information has Gabriel kept from you?

9. Does Gabriel practice a double standard? Does he expect sacrifices from you while making none himself? Does he live better? Does he eat better? Does he have more privileges? Why is that? Jesus lived the same existence as his apostles; he lived by the same rules and suffered the same hardships. Jesus didn't live in a nice house with a personal cook and multiple girlfriends while forcibly separating the families of his apostles and making them live in tents and run-down garages. Does Gabriel think himself superior to Jesus?

10. Have you ever put Gabriel to the test the way the Rabbi did? If not, how can you say the Rabbi is not correct? Just because you want to believe something is so does not make it so. You must test your truth from time to time the way the Rabbi did, then make up your own mind.

I hope to have a transcript of the Rabbi's transmission posted soon for those of you outside the Aquarian Concepts Community who do not have access to it. For those of you in the community, if you have not seen or heard the Rabbi's transmission for yourself, why don't you do so? Prove to yourself if the man who calls himself Gabriel of Sedona is for real. Don't wait another six months to see if his prophecies about the mothership come true to decide. You don't need to wait that long to determine the truth. Think of all the dozens of other predictions Gabriel has made that never came true, and how he either rationalized them (and you believed him), or he just plain pretended they didn't exist anymore.

You already have all the information you need to determine the truth about Gabriel of Sedona. Now it is up to you to decide. What truly marks an open-minded person is the willingness to follow where evidence leads. The open-minded person is willing to defer to impartial investigations rather than to his or her own predilections. The evidence is here: the false transmission given to the Rabbi, the many many failed predictions made by Tony Paladin and the Bright and Morning Star over the years, the evidence of deception, manipulation and control used to keep you from being open minded -- it's all there. Follow the evidence. The evidence against Gabriel of Sedona is overwhelming; an open-minded person must reject him.